confirming your identity

[SiliconHeaven]

Please can you tell me if IABU? I was just surprised to feel real anger when my electricity company just called me, unannounced.

I have been in touch with them last week asking for a reduction in my monthly direct debit or a refund of some of the balance I have (over £1000) to no avail, so when my dad said he could refer me to his supplier I went for it. Signed up with new company yesterday, all is good.
Phone call from old supplier this morning, asks to speak to me, fine. Then he asks me to confirm my full name, address and postcode.

Now in my brain I know why they do it but it genuinely gives me the rage. I told him that he had called me, he knows my name and address and postcode, he wants to speak to me not the other way round. He mumbles that he needs to confirm it's really me.

I said 'I don't want to' and hung up, childish I know, but I can't help how I feel.
AIBU? should I try to stop the feeling of anger and go with the flow or am I justified and if they call you they shouldn't then ask you to give them your name /address/postcode etc?

Have they refused to give you the balance of over £1000?? Or is it due to come?

How on earth do you know if it's really the company? Of course you did the right thing

I would always say that I never give out personal information to people who have called me, say I'll ring back on the number I have from them, and ask which department I should be put through to

You ask them to give their name and department and say you will call back on the known company number and ask for them

YANBU

It is their identity that needs to be proven

Definitely never confirm details when someone phones you....
I would ring back on a number that you have having asked for the person's number.

If they can't do that then tough....they hav pop ups allover their sites warning about scams they should be prepred for us to be careful

It is actually fine not to give a company that calls you saying they provide you with any services be in banking, insurance,broadband, mobile phone, or utilities that you aren't going to identify yourself.

You can call them back if you so wish but as it is a utility company I wouldn't bother. They can send you a letter or email you.

You did the right thing. It could be anyone.

If you have money with the old supplier I would call them and say you had a call that sounded like a scam, and you need to have your money back now

OP I put a review on Trustpilot about my supplier refusing to give my credit back after asking them on the phone a month earlier and then sending them an email 7 days before.

I then got contacted through the review and giving a refund.

You could have asked them to confirm something (like your account number, or the name of your street and you'll give the house number) to reassure yourself you were speaking to someone you wanted to be.

I have to say, when I'm expecting a call and then someone calls, I'm not on high alert and would just answer the questions to get a resolution. Realistically, what's anybody going to do with those bits of address information they asked for?

Very true Lubaluca, it's only my address and postcode, hardly my credit card number so maybe the level of anger I felt was unreasonable but the instinct to not want to confirm my identity when they called me was sound?

I will get the money back now I have switched to a new supplier! They just didn't want me to reduce my credit balance, saying I would need it to cover the winter months.
I'm sure £300 would be enough though, no need to keep over £1000.

I will get the money back now I have switched to a new supplier! They just didn't want me to reduce my credit balance, saying I would need it to cover the winter months.

That's not true.

After leaving my review my supplier admitted they were only allowed to keep the equivalent of 2 months credit.

Previously when I was a British Gas customer a few times they use to give me a refund every March of most of my credit.

It used to be standard practice that a person ringing you would say 'Hello, my name is say, Adam Johnson, from X company and I'm ringing about Y or Z. May I speak to D or E?

Now they ring and don't say who they are but just go straight in to ask if you are say, Susan Andrews. Or in your case, even worse is asking you your full name address etc. It feels rude and officious as if you are at their beck and call.
One of the reasons for not saying who they are is apparently some notion about confidentiality or not disclosing a thing to the wrong person. But then they assume it's all right to ask you to disclose your personal details.